Black Liliana
by Elizabeth Uchiha
Summary: Non-despair AU ; The graduates of Hope's Peak are having one final gala before saying goodbye, and Komaeda isn't going to let this opportunity slip. This fic goes with the song Black Liliana. (KomaHina)


They had wanted a way to celebrate. To celebrate their graduation from Hope's Peak Academy that is. Four long and anguish filled years, and they were finally about to leave this place for good. And what better way to celebrate than in the most extravagant way possible?

A gala of course, set up and hosted by none other than Togami. He had more than enough space to fit all the graduating students in his ball room, along with plenty of food and music to keep them all satisfied for the evening. The entire class seemed anxious for it, including some of the students who you would assume to be apathetic of the idea. Gundam had stated how it would be a wonderful night to show his king like stature, and Nidai had hinted at the fact that he really just wanted an excuse to wear a suit.

Out of the whole class, Hinata probably seemed the least interested. Not only did he lack experience in dancing, but he knew the entire time he would be a wall flower, resorting to eating snacks the entire time. He almost decided not to attend, but Komaeda had practically pleaded with Hinata to at least show up. Though Hinata didn't understand his motives behind his actions, he decided to go.

On the night of the gala, Hinata stood in front of his body length mirror, adjusting almost every inch of his dark suit. He had to admit, he was slightly nervous to go to this gala, as his previous concerns still bothered him, and new ones popped into his head. This would be one of the last times he will see his classmates, as they graduate in a few days. Everyone will be separating and going off to be successful graduates of Hope's Peak Academy.

With a sigh, his mind began to replay some of the memorable moments of his years at the school. Hinata recalled the time that Souda had almost been suspended from school while he was trying to work on a motor in his auto body class. Whatever it was he had done wrong, it almost destroyed the entire garage. He remembered helping Hanamura cook an extremely large cake in home economics for Togami's birthday. That was the first time he could remember seeing Togami smile without having some ulterior thought or feeling.

There was the time Gundam's hamsters had gotten away from him during gym class, and they ended up tearing through the schools electrical system. They were out of school for days while the employees looked into the issue. He remembered helping Mahiro put together a scrap book full of pictures she had been taking since the first day of school. Hinata still had his own copy of the scrap book sitting neatly on his desk.

Hinata had been lost in his thoughts, and realized that the gala would start soon. Shoving his cell phone and keys into his slacks, Hinata made his way out to his car, bidding his family farewell for the night. Hinata didn't want to be late; he wouldn't hear the end of it from Komaeda or Togami.

As expected, Togami went all out when he set up the party. A live orchestral group was set up and had already begun playing when he entered the spacious ball room. Chandeliers hung from the roof, gleaming with radiant golden lights onto the hardwood floors that had obviously been recently polished. Closer to the door, there were about three or four tables set up with a large range of finger foods to choose from. From Hinata's perspective, he could see stuffed mushrooms, miniature crab cakes, boiled shrimp, and plenty of hand sized cakes to feed an army.

After greeting Togami at the door, Hinata hit the snack tables first, grabbing little bits of everything to try and see what favored more. So far, he was more interested in the stuffed mushrooms, picking up several and placing them on a silver plate. While he was stuffing his face with the snack, he watched the door as the other students made it to the gala. It wasn't supposed to actually start for another few minutes, but it was still nice to be early to the party than late.

Sonia showed up in one of the most expensive looking dresses that Hinata had ever seen. It was made of dazzling silver fabric that somewhat dragged behind her as she walked, while her long blonde hair was nearly placed up into a ponytail. To top it all off, she wore a tiny tiara in her hair that fit perfectly with her person. It didn't surprise Hinata that Gundam and Souda had followed her inside. Gundam wore a simple tux but still wore his arm bandages and his swaying scarf, while Souda wore a bright yellow suit that resembled his mechanic jump suit.

"Hinata!" called a voice from behind him. Hinata slowly turned and was met with the sight of Komaeda, dressed in a tight fitting black suit, along with a black tie tucked into the front. Hinata saw his hair was the same as always, not that he expected Komaeda to try and look any fancier than this. Komaeda stood beside him, his hands linked together in front of him as he smiled his traditional smile.

Hinata swallowed the mushroom he had been snacking on in order to speak. "Hey Komaeda, you look… great." Hinata wasn't sure what else to say about Komaeda's appearance. It wasn't his normal careless look, yet it was at the same time. Hinata mentally slapped himself for saying that to him, but his worry dissipated as he saw a faint blush dust Komaeda's cheeks. "Ah, thank you Hinata. You look nice as well." Komaeda informed him, seemingly rocking back and forth on his feet.

Hinata was never sure what to talk to with Komaeda about, since normally it was Komaeda who started up conversation with him. It was odd to see Komaeda so… behaved in public for once. Normally he wouldn't be able to keep still, and would constantly pester Hinata. Tonight he seemed rooted to the spot he currently stood in, his mouth strained shut. Hinata was going to discard this as Komaeda just trying to be a grown up, when he heard his voice faintly over the growing sound of the orchestra.

"Oh, Hinata! This is such a lovely song." Komaeda pointed out, a look of happiness spread quickly across his face as the orchestra played. Hinata nodded in agreement as he ate another mushroom, not paying much attention to Komaeda. He was more focused as he watched people begin to fill into the ball room floor, swaying and spinning to the rhythm of the song. Even Akane and Nidai had paired up to dance.

Hinata barely knew what was happening when Komaeda had suddenly swiped his plate of mushrooms from him. "K-Komaeda, what the hell…" Hinata grumbled as he watched Komaeda walk towards a table and set it down. Of course Hinata followed him over to the table, but before he could protest, Komaeda snatched his wrist and tugged him onto the dance floor as well. Hinata tried to pull away, but gave in when he saw some of the others were giving him looks.

Komaeda beamed at Hinata, taking hold of Hinata's right hand in his own, and placing his left hand on Hinata's waist. By now, Hinata was still very confused as to why Komaeda dragged him out there to dance to this song, as it was seemingly a waltz song, and if there was anything Hinata was lacking experience in, it was this.

Komaeda directed Hinata's hand to settle on his shoulder then lifted his head up to stare into Hinata's eyes. "Komaeda why.." Hinata tried to ask, but Komaeda let out a chuckle. "Do you know how to dance, Hinata?" Komaeda asked. Hinata thought it was obvious by how he had already stumbled several times over Komaeda's nice shoes. Hinata gave a small nod to answer the question, and Komaeda's smile grew wider. "No need to worry, even someone as low and undeserving as myself can take the lead." Komaeda told him.

Hinata let out a sigh at that last comment. After all this time, Komaeda still referred to himself in a abhorrent way. He would let it slide for now, as he needed his attention to focus on not embarrassing himself in front of his classmates.

The hand he had settled on Komaeda's shoulder clutched tightly onto the fabric of his clothing as they moved in sync to the elegant symphony that played. Komaeda was able to lead the dance much better than Hinata first thought, carefully stepping to the music while not stepping on Hinata's stumbling feet. The hand he had on Hinata's waist tightened slightly as they did a grand swing around the dance floor, and soon Hinata was picking up the dance very well.

Within a few moments, the others on the floor had started to move off to the side, making Hinata and Komaeda the center of attention. But neither of the two had noticed as they became lost in the dance and song, swaying their bodies in sync with the song. "Hinata, do you know this song?" Komaeda asked , yet was able to keep up with the movements. Hinata shook his head, not trusting his voice at the moment. Komaeda let out another chuckle. "It's called 'Black Liliana'." He stated simply, not giving any other indication behind what it was or where it was from. All Hinata knew that it was one of the most splendid sounds he had ever heard. Komaeda twisted perfectly around Hinata, who in turn shuffled in the same direction. Hinata was really enjoying himself, something he hadn't expected to happen.

It seemed like an eternity, but a mere hour later, Komaeda and Hinata were stumbling off the dance floor, having danced through several songs together. In the end, the two were eccentric, giggling and hanging off each other as they made their way out onto a balcony for some of the fresh night air.

"Where in the hell did you learn to dance like that?" Hinata asked him once they were leaning on the outer wall of the balcony, letting the night air brush against his face. Komaeda tapped his chin, then shrugged his shoulders. "I think it is just something I am good at." Komaeda answered, stretching his arms out above his head. "Did you enjoy it?"

Hinata rested his chin in his hand as he leaned against the balcony more. "Yeah…" Hinata started thinking about how much fun this had been, and how much he was going to miss all his friends. Apparently, Komaeda was having similar thoughts. "You know, Hinata, even someone as undeserving as me, wishes we weren't all about to graduate. I wish that we could all be together for a long time." He admitted, his eyes not leaving the night sky.

Hinata couldn't agree more. His eyes wandered over to his companion, and his first thought was he looked very handsome in the moonlight. Hinata wasn't going to lie, he had always felt attracted to Komaeda, not only physically, but emotionally. Komaeda was probably one of his only friends, not including Chiaki. Komaeda was the only one who stuck around to help him whenever he was having emotional problems or family issues. He wasn't sure why he never spoke of his feelings to Komaeda though. But seeing as they were going to be graduating soon, Hinata wasn't sure he would have time to tell him. With that last thought, Hinata made his decision.

Hinata pushed himself off the balcony and practically flung himself at Komaeda in a tight embrace. Komaeda was shocked at first, but returned the hug full heartedly and without question. They weren't sure how long they stood there, just holding each other in the crisp night air, before Hinata spoke up. "Komaeda, I need to tell you something."

"What is it?" Komaeda spoke with a cheery tone, pulling away slightly to be able to look Hinata in the eyes. He hesitated at first, but he knew if he didn't say anything now, he wouldn't be sure when the chance would arise again. "Komaeda… I think I may.. have feelings for you." The words came out a little more awkward than he thought, but instead of correcting himself, he allowed Komaeda to react first.

Komaeda's smile didn't falter, nor did he seem shocked. "Hinata! I already knew that." Komaeda stated. Hinata narrowed his eyes, cocking one of his eyebrows up in question. "You knew? Why didn't you say anything?" Hinata questioned, a blush furiously making its way across his cheeks.

Komaeda tilted his head to the side. "Was I supposed to say something? I'm sorry Hinata, I thought you were going to say something." He informed him, causing Hinata to release a heavy sigh. "Well… Okay, since you know, what do you think?" Hinata questioned, as that was the real question he wanted an answer to.

Komaeda raised one of his hands up to lightly tap onto his forehead, as if he needs to think in depth about his answer. "Well, Hinata, I thought you already knew the answer to that question." Hinata was even more confused, as he never had a single clue as to what Komaeda could possibly be thinking or feeling unless he was told. "I've been in love with you since the day we met." Komaeda answered.

The day they met was somewhat awkward. Hinata had passed out after the entrance ceremony due to heat exhaustion, and when he came to, it was Komaeda who was leaned over him, asking if he was alright. Ever since that incident, the two had been growing immensely closer, and most of the school had considered them to be best friends.

Before Hinata could answer, he felt Komaeda's delicate lips press ever so lightly to his own, and the arms Komaeda had wrapped around Hinata tightened more. Hinata was a little surprised at first, but he didn't move to pull away. Instead, he returned the kiss with an equal push. It didn't last that long, as Komaeda pulled away first. "I was so worried that you would lose your feelings for me after we graduated, so I really wanted to make sure you came tonight. I was going to tell you how I felt but you seem to have done the job for me, Hinata." Komaeda explained, nuzzling his nose lightly to Hinata's rose colored cheek.

"Well, trust me, Komaeda, I wouldn't just drop my feelings like that." Hinata replied, running his hand through Komaeda's white hair. Just as Komaeda was about to lean in for another kiss, the sounds of the balcony door opening penetrated their ears. "Ah, there you guys are!" Came Mahiro's voice. The photographer stepped out, and before the two could react, she snapped a photo of the two in each other's arms.

"Ahh! Let me see!" Came Saionji's voice as she stared at the camera. Hinata's blush grew as he stomped over to the slowly growing crowd of students who wanted to see the picture. "Delete that! That's private!" Hinata raised his voice as others began to talk.

"Didn't know you two were so close!" Souda chanted over to them as the camera was passed around, with Hinata scurrying around like a blushing idiot to get it back. Komaeda watched the scene from a distance, knowing they were all having their fun. Before Hinata could embarrass himself further, Komaeda walked over and yanked him out of the group, causing everyone to look up at them. "Oh Hinata, why is it such an issue that they find out about our secret love affair?" Komaeda stated in a down cast voice, fake tears welling up in the corners of his eyes as he put on a show. Hinata held his head in his hands as the group behind him let out 'Ooo's' and 'Aww's'.

Hinata and Komaeda ended up erupting into laughter along with the rest of the group before making their way back inside. In the end, they would all stay as a group, no matter where they all headed off to after this, they would still be connected. Hinata was sure of it as he held Komaeda's hand when they left.


End file.
